What’s in a name? How your toddler’s name shapes who they are
Did you spend months before your baby was born choosing a name? Perhaps you’d had a name in mind for you baby even before pregnancy – or waited a few days after they were born to choose one that was just right for them. However you chose their name, and even if you now call them something different a lot of the time, names are an important part of who we are.
Sociologists are becoming increasingly interested in names, and how these relate to people’s experiences and how they are perceived. Taking a quick look at statistics about names in England and Wales you can see that there are trends in the names we use.
Balancing your toddler’s needs and your own – our tips for when you need some quiet time
Today’s generation of parents are more aware of the importance of good mental health and wellbeing than any other. You know that your toddler needs your calm presence when they’re overwhelmed – and you probably won’t be using the naughty step anytime soon! Does this mean you can’t let them know when you need some space? We’re here to tell you why it’s ok to tell your toddler you are having some time doing something else – and how to do it in a gentle and reassuring way.
Your toddler learns a lot about the world, not from what you say but from what you do. They will watch you and copy your actions, whether that is pretending to make a meal, take a selfie or message a friend. They will also notice how you look after your wellbeing and respond to your emotions and copy that too.
Five books about care routines to share with your toddler
Hair love by Matthew Cherry
Supporting your toddler's sense of proprioception
Do you look at your feet as you walk upstairs or at your arm as you push it into your sleeves? You might if the steps are uneven or if there is a bit of twisting involved in getting your arms in the right position. The reason you don’t need to look every time is that you have developed a good proprioception – the sense that enables you to be aware of your body’s position and movement. Your toddler is still mastering these skills and they are particularly tricky for them as they are growing all the time, which means their body awareness constantly needs to change.
Proprioception is the sense that enables us to be aware of our body’s position and movement.
The wonder of mixing in the great outdoors
When your toddler is mixing with a spoon, they may make quite a bit of mess! It’s such a great feeling to stir different ingredients in a bowl and while their handling skills are developing you might find the spoon, bowl and all the ingredients go flying! Thankfully, the outdoors can provide children with a better space, and less constrained way, to practise these developing skills.
The outdoor world offers rich and diverse experiences that change throughout the year.
Seeing all toys for all children is a game changer
You may have seen your toddler showing a preference for certain types of toy and styles of play. This is an exciting stage for them, as they are becoming more tuned into the world and noticing things around them. However, as we all know, play hasn't always been offered equally to girls and boys, raising the question of whether they are innately drawn towards particular toys and types of play, or are encouraged to choose what's 'set out' for them by society and tradition.
For centuries, gender-based ideals[1] for how children should play have been set and met, with a typical play scene depicting girls engaged in role-play looking after a baby, and boys playing with big trucks and cars.
There’s so much more than drawing happening here
Learning to write is a complex process that requires a combination of skills. Your toddler is in a fabulous stage of their development right now and we would encourage you to embrace and enjoy it because it will benefit them tremendously when they begin to learn handwriting. To understand more about how what they are doing now will serve them well later, we need to look at the wider picture.
Writing relies on skills in a variety of development areas.
Don’t think about toy monkeys – why using negative instructions can have unintended consequences!
We know what you are thinking about now – even though we told you not to. Are you wondering what toy monkeys have to do with your toddler’s development? Thinking about how you respond to a negative statement can be helpful when thinking about supporting your toddler’s understanding and behaviour.
Could slowing down be the best way to support your toddler’s development?
Do you ever feel the pressure to make sure your toddler is learning quickly, or that you need to be getting them ready for the next room at nursery, starting preschool or maybe even school? It can be hard to resist the feeling that you need to find ways to get your toddler to develop more quickly. Is sooner always better or could slowing down be the best for your toddler (and for you)?
Professor of Early Childhood Education, Alison Clark is known by many early years professionals for her work on listening to children – finding ways to get children’s views and understand their experiences from their perspectives.
Time to chat – how you support your toddler’s speech development
The way children learn to understand and speak is fascinating to scientists and parents alike. How does your toddler learn the vocabulary and grammar of the language or languages you speak? Do you need to spend time teaching them and getting them to practise new words? You might be pleased to hear the short answer is no, just chat with them.
In 2019, educational psychologists and professors at Harvard Graduate School of Education, Meridith Rowe and Catherine Snow, reviewed research about language development,particularly which of the things that parents and other caregivers do to support children’s language learning during the first five years.[1]
